Some personal views on nanotechnology, science and science policy from Richard Jones

Against Transhumanism – the e-book

Transhumanism: technically wrong, ideologically suspect, and damaging to the way we talk about technology…

As an experiment, I’ve brought together a number of the pieces I’ve written here and elsewhere about molecular nanotechnology, mind-uploading, and the origins and wider implications of transhumanism, to make, after some light editing, a 54-page e-book with the title “Against Transhumanism: the delusion of technological transcendence”.

Richard, “I really believe Jones is a transhumanist already. He just didn’t realize yet” is a comment left by a reader, to which I replied:

“I would call Jones a transhumanist in the sense that he is open to the possibility that even the most visionary transhumanist aspirations might eventually come true, and he isn’t against that possibility (or at least he doesn’t say so). He isn’t a transhumanist in the sense that he doesn’t believe that visionary transhumanist technologies are imminent, but then, I don’t believe that either.”

Longer reads: on nanotechnology

Soft Machines: nanotechnology and life, a book about nanotechnology. For more details about the book, see here.

Sheffield Scanner Appeal

On June 30th I attempted to walk 50 miles in less than 24 hours, together with with many other university staff, to raise money for a combined MRI/PET scanner to support medical research - especially into neurodegenerative diseases like motor neurone disease and Alzheimer's - at the University of Sheffield and Sheffield's hospitals.
I made it! It took me about 17 hours. You can still support this great cause via my JustGiving page.